An Ontario Coroner says that a ban is needed on baby bath seats and rings in order to prevent death by drowning in the bathtub. He says that the seats give parents a false sense of security, and that they will often run out of the room for 'just a moment' to grab a towel, the phone, or do other domestic chores.The proposed legislation would either ban the advertising, sale and import of bath seats in Canada or restrict the sale and use of the products to those meeting a recognized safety standard. Health Canada's public consultation on the proposed changes lasts until July 25.
What do you think about this? Do you think banning these seats will help reduce the death rate? Or possibly that parents will resort to using some other self made, even less sturdy props to leave their kids in? Everyone knows the risk of leaving a child unattended in the tub, so is it really the fault of the seat itself?
16 comments:
i don't like those seats personally. my daughter has low muscle tone and could not sit up unassisted until she was 13 months old. so for the longest time i had just those mesh things they can lay on so i thought i would try a bath seat thing. they are not made nearly high enough! it was in right and her back literally bent backward over it and almost went right in the water if i hadn't been right there she would have drowned. i just don't like them at all..personlaly.
I use one for Olivia, and she has tipped it right in front of me! Imagine what could happen had she been alone...
i think if they are going to sell them they could make them more sturdy.
parents should still stay in the room but they should also be more stury then what they are.
When my son was 6 months old I experienced this very thing. Him being my third child I was more comforable maybe...He was the first of my children to ever use a bath "ring" (almost identical to the one pictured!) It was one of those hectic nights...company coming, tidying up... so I was running around a bit disorganized (totally unlike I usually do) Anyway... I left him to go grab a baby towel, diaper, and penatin cream. I was gone maybe a minute or less. I returned to find my child lying in the water, turning blue and making only a gurgling sound!! I grabbed him, turned him on his side and ran to the phone. I called 911, and then layed him down on his side, he started coughin and crying... much to my relief. When the EMS arrived he was fine, but I still allowed them to take him to the hospital to x-ray his lungs for water intake. I was terrified, and so angry that I had been stupid enough to leave him. However; he as sitting upright unassited, and had never even slightly tilted the bath "ring". However; after some reasearch and my own "testing" I soon discovered that if the child pulls quickly upright the seat remains secure...however; if the child wiggles slightly back and forth (as if trying to reach something)the seat releases! Then actually holds the child uderwater, because they are sitting inside the ring! I agree parents need to be very attentive, I should never have left him...even for a second...but I did, and lots of mothers have, do and will... "just for a second". I will never use one again...and discourage people from them. (My little guy was fine. He is seven years old now. I have since had baby number #4 and am expecting baby #5...and last!) I do think these seats are extremly dangerous as they give parents a false sense of security. If you do use them or plan to do so... DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CHILD'S SIDE FOR ANYTHING!!
P.S. I found that sponge bathing my kids until they could sit up in the tub worked best. Just Lay a big, thick, warm towel on the floor, lie the child down, get a basin full of warm water with your favorite baby wash in it, and enjoy that time with your little one, they'll be sitting up in the tub soon enough!
I have a ring that was boughten for me and it is different then the one pictured. It actually has a security arm that comes off the ring and attaches (clamps) on the side of the tub. I feel its pretty secure however I understand that it only takes one second for an accident to happen and I still keep a very sharp eye on him at all times.
I think that no matter what happens their will always be accidents that happen in the tub. However I personally wouldnt use the ones without the attachment as i feel they are not as stable and secure!!
-sini
I never used one. I didn't trust them. Now that Lauren is almost two, I don't feel too bad running to get the cordless phone and run back in to the bathroom. But when she was a baby, I brought the phone , and anything else I might need, in with me. I never left her side.
Those things are dangerous.
I have one, a much cheaper/less fancy than the one in the picture. My son outgrew his baby tub and wanted to sit in the bath but it was too slippery so we used that. I loved it and never had any problems with it.
I think its pretty stupid for someone to leave their child in a bathtub no matter how little water or what they are sitting it, it takes very little water or time for a child to drown. I would never ever leave my son in the bathroom by himself for no reason, on more than one occasion I have gotten soaked from carrying him to his room because I forgot a towel.
The issues with these seats have nothing to do with the seat itself but with the sense of security it gives the parents. If the seat upsets you should always be close enough to get your child out of the water in less than a second.
Wow, anonymous thanks for sharing that story. I hope that hearing such a thing from someone so close to home from everyone here will discourage anyone from leaving their baby in the tub.
I have no used one they always appeared shaddy to me so I never bought one.
The minute we decided to move from the baby tub to the big tub, I bought an anti-slip mat from Walmart for $15. Works like a charm and she can still move around and play without fear of slipping. At a friends house, we tried a Safety First Slip mat, weirdest thing ever. The thing only had suction cups in certain spots and the stupid thing kept floating around. Piece o' crap.
I also have the seat that has an arm that attachs to the side of the tub and I love it!! I have used it for both my children and never had any troubles. It is very sturdy and would not tip over. It is the one piece of baby items that I would recommend to everyone that spending a little extra money on this item is well worth it. The cheapier ones are just that! But just because it is sturdy, does not make it safe to leave the child alone.
Well I would have to say I agree that they are useless and dangerous. My son got stuck in it. I was so upset as a young mother my six month old is stuck in the seat in the tub. When I returned it to walmart the woman said I wasn't the first person to complain. I never called and complained to anyone but I probably should have.
I use one for my daughter and I have never had a problem with it, mind you I don't use it as a babysitter neither. When my daughter is in the tub, there is nothing more important to me than her. That is the problem with parents now a days, everything is getting banned because they are unsafe, don't get me wrong, there is alot of unsafe things out there for children, but when children are getting hurt by things when they are not being supervised then maybe its the parents that are being unsafe.
I agree! I think its stupid that the parents who use them properly have to suffer because of the mothers who are irresponsible and who leave their babies in the tub! Dumb!
I can only say its great for the "wonderful" mothers who have responded with comments like dumb for us who aren't so perfect! Put it this way...we all make mistakes...and certainly leaving our child unsupervised for "just a moment" is not considered "babysitting"! Those of you who have been so lucky as to never have left your child's side for a second, where they fall, or bang their head, shut the cupboard on their hand, step out on to a road or into the travel area of a parking lot without looking first...congratulations! And how many little ones who from birth are exposed to smoking, alcolhol abuse or other irresponsible behaviors? As a mother of a large family, and experiece at mothering for almost 15 years your day may come. You can not be by their side constantly or they never learn. So be it as infants we are resposible for the positions, and places our children are...but instead of calling down good moms for having made a mistake..be thankful you've not made the same, or worse!
I agree with the "Anonymous" post above me not everyone is perfect and im quite sure those mothers feel horrible for leaving their child for even one second! they do not need someone else to piont out how much of a mistake it was or to call them down. But my oppinion of bath rings is sort of in the middle... they are all made so differently so its hard to say that i don't like any of them i used one with my oldest son who is now 5 and never had any problems with it but am now seriously considering NOT using one on my youngest who is almost out grown his infant tub, i do LOVE the mesh sling and think it is a bit safer but even those can be a potentila hazard. i guess when it comes to babys almost ANYTHING can be a hazard in some way...........
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